Oakland Raiders vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

Two teams that both had higher expectations this season will square off Sunday in a game critical for each of them as the Oakland Raiders (4-2) visit the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3) in a near pick'em matchup. The Jaguars have won two in a row following an 0-3 start, while the Raiders have three wins by a combined five points and are coming off a brutal home loss to a divisional foe.

    

Point spread: The Jaguars opened as 1.5-point favorites; the total was 49 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (Line updates and matchup report).

NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 29.6-19.0 Jaguars (NFL picks on every game)

    

Why the Raiders can cover the spread

Bettors are still trying to decide if Oakland is a contender or a pretender after the first quarter of the season, and last week's 26-10 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs might make them think the latter.

However, the team's official website noted running back Latavius Murray and right tackle Menelik Watson both returned to practice on Wednesday in limited fashion. They could return to action, which would help take pressure off young quarterback Derek Carr. The Raiders are 6-0 against the spread after failing to cover consecutive games, and they are 3-0 straight up on the road already this year.

          

Why the Jaguars can cover the spread

Jacksonville has put together back-to-back wins over the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears, and the team is just one game back of the AFC South-leading Houston Texans in the loss column.

Houston visits the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos on Monday night, so this is a great chance for the Jaguars to make up some more ground and move closer to the division lead. They are 5-1 ATS in the past six meetings with Oakland and 5-2 ...